Stop moving, stop talking and take off your hat

I arrived at the track today as the national anthem was playing (around noon) and all but three or so people around me outside the gate kept on walking, talking and going about their business.

Dozens and dozens of people inside the track, too (it’s easy to see from the turnstyles) acted as if some nonsensical Amy Winehouse jingle was blaring in the background, rather than the “Star Spangled Banner.” Is your racing form — or your cell phone — really so important you can not put it down long enough to show appreciation, respect and gratitude?

I should say, I’ve got a serious thing about patriotic music — I love it. “God Bless America,” “My Country Tis Of Thee” and our national anthem always make me feel warm and fuzzy inside (proud?) and motivate me to sing along (even if that singing is happening only in my head), so maybe I take this a little more serious than some. I’ve felt even stronger about this “respect factor” since Sept. 11. In the years following the attacks, I often get choked up hearing our national anthem — especially when in public, surrounded by thousands of other Americans.

I enjoy the United States and appreciate the luxuries and freedoms we have here not offered in so many countries around the world. Being an American is not a right, it’s a privilege. And, as a result, people should stand still for 3 darn minutes (and stop talking and take off their baseball caps) to respect the soil they stand on.